Outside the Looking Glass
by mabelreid
Summary: One shot. Rossi has a few words of wisdom for a very nervous Reid on his wedding day. AU.


**_Disclaimer: see my profile_**

**_A/n just a little one shot that came to me while I was out running errands this morning, please enjoy._**

**_ Outside the Looking Glass_**

Some people believe that mirrors are portals to another world, that you can step through them, into some wondrous place and time, to experience adventures outside the bounds of human imagination. Others have feared mirrors for the same reasons; that they lead to nightmarish realms or even to hell itself, that they can allow demons to enter our world.

He reached up and adjusted the black bow tie at his neck. His brand new white shirt with French cuffs and point collar - that was supposed to stay cool - didn't look like it belonged on his body. The black cummerbund around his waist with its pleats definitely didn't feel right. He surveyed the matching black tuxedo pants with razor sharp creases in each leg. The coat, as precisely tailored as the shirt and pants, still hung on a hanger in its plastic cover.

How did he end up in this place? This wasn't supposed to be happening to him. He'd long ago given up on standing in a room with wine colored carpet, dark paneling on the walls, and golden sunlight streaming into the long windows. He wasn't supposed to feel the nerves every groom feels in their gut, twisting it up into tight little knots that made him faint and sweaty.

He was supposed to be the one that stood on the outside looking in, like looking in a mirror and wondering if there was anyone or anything waiting for him on the other side. He was supposed to attend weddings, not participate.

"What're you thinking about?"

Rossi entered the frame of the oval shaped, free standing, full length mirror.

"I was wondering how this happened," Reid blurted out.

Rossi grinned as he adjusted his tie and smoothed down the front of his jacket. His signet ring glinted in the sunlight that filled the room and his eyes laughed.

"I'd think a genius like you would now how _this_ happened."

Reid flushed rosy pink in the cheeks. "Yes, I know, but I don't know."

"You're not making any sense."

Reid's puppy dog eyes pleaded with him, so Rossi took pity on him. He turned and put his hands on Reid's shoulders. "You got here because you finally found the right one. I know you never expected it to happen, that you didn't go looking for it, but it did and you better buck up and handle the fact that in about five minutes you have to walk out there and get married."

"Okay, but I don't know -"

"Spencer." Reid flinched a little, so Rossi stepped back from him. "I'm sorry I got a little loud. It doesn't matter how you got here, but what happens now."

"I don't understand."

"I've done this three times and I can tell you that it's not all about that feeling that tells you, 'I have to be with this person or die,' it's about sharing everything you are with another person. It's about compromise and putting her happiness before your feelings. It's about sacrifice and if you're not up to it, then you shouldn't be here."

"But, you said you've done this three times," Reid said with some trepidation.

Rossi shrugged, "This is a, 'do, as I say, not do as I do,' conversation, Reid."

"Oh, well, I still -"

Rossi sighed, and put the fingers of his right hand to his nose. "Stop thinking and just enjoy the moment. The rest will sort out on its own. You're going to be great at the marriage game if you just stop thinking about it so much."

Reid tugged at his tie again. "I look like a fool."

Rossi smirked. "Stop blaming your nerves on that tuxedo. Suck it up and get ready for your appearance, and try to remember that _you _asked her to marry you.

Reid finally smiled. "Yeah, I guess I did."

"Do you love her?"

"Of course I do."

"There's no need to get so indignant. Just remember that, and you won't care who's out there watching you."

Reid smiled again. "Alright, Dad, I get it."

"Dad," Rossi smiled at his reflection as he savored the word like fine wine. "I think I like that even better than, 'Uncle Dave,' he admitted.

"Hey," Morgan stuck his head in the door. "It's your cue, pretty boy. Put on your coat and get out here."

He reached for his coat, slipped it on and took one last look in the long mirror. He was alone again; Rossi had stepped out of the reach of its smooth, reflective surface. It might be a secret portal to an unknown land, or harbor nightmares. He didn't have to step through it, though, to begin his own adventure and this time it was of his own making.


End file.
